Citing money woes, the board of the nonprofit Healdsburg Jazz Festival has ousted festival founder and artistic director Jessica Felix—who created one of the country's premier small-scale jazz celebrations—and scratched next year's festival.
The 10-day June event, which according to board President Pat Templin has run a $30,000 deficit the last couple of years, is being put on hold for a year while the board rethinks its scope and musical palette.
One of the last “pure" jazz festivals, the Healdsburg bash has featured a legion of great artists over the last 12 years—among them McCoy Tyner, Dave Brubeck, Joshua Redman, Billy Higgins, Charles Lloyd, Cedar Walton and Bill Frisell.
Felix, whose long-standing friendships with musicians enabled her to bring top talent to town when she couldn't pay their usual fees, was informed at a board meeting last week that her job, which paid $50,000 this year, was being eliminated.
“I was devastated," says Felix, a longtime Bay Area jazz supporter and producer who co-founded the grassroots organization Jazz in Flight. “I dedicated 12 years of my life to this. It's my passion. I worked for many years without any income, doing it as a labor of love." Felix is consulting a lawyer and couldn't comment on the festival's financial situation. She left the board in 2008.
The 10-day June event, which according to board President Pat Templin has run a $30,000 deficit the last couple of years, is being put on hold for a year while the board rethinks its scope and musical palette.
One of the last “pure" jazz festivals, the Healdsburg bash has featured a legion of great artists over the last 12 years—among them McCoy Tyner, Dave Brubeck, Joshua Redman, Billy Higgins, Charles Lloyd, Cedar Walton and Bill Frisell.
Felix, whose long-standing friendships with musicians enabled her to bring top talent to town when she couldn't pay their usual fees, was informed at a board meeting last week that her job, which paid $50,000 this year, was being eliminated.
“I was devastated," says Felix, a longtime Bay Area jazz supporter and producer who co-founded the grassroots organization Jazz in Flight. “I dedicated 12 years of my life to this. It's my passion. I worked for many years without any income, doing it as a labor of love." Felix is consulting a lawyer and couldn't comment on the festival's financial situation. She left the board in 2008.
